Growth, haemato-biochemical, hormonal and disease characteristics in Black Bengal goats: a review.

The goats have been considered one of the noteworthy animals to provide food security and could promote socio-economic upliftment under challenging climatic scenarios in the coming decades, particularly in the tropics. Black Bengal goat (BBG) is one of the recognised native meat-type breeds of hot-humid tropics with distinguished characteristics, including superior-quality meat, excellent skin and high prolificacy. Smaller body mass, lower metabolic rate and efficient utilisation of high-fibre forages enable BBG to adapt to a wide range of harsh climates in the tropics. The BBG can maintain physiological homeostasis efficiently in terms of electrolyte profile, endocrine functions and haemato-biochemical traits in different life phases, including the gestation period, even in high-saline coastal areas of hot-humid tropics. Crossbreeding to improve its growth rate has been attempted, but the prolificacy has been decayed. This review is intended to attract global attention to the adaptive potentialities of Black Bengal goats in terms of growth and production, haemato-biochemical, endocrinological, salt tolerance and disease characteristics that could be an asset of climate-resilient agricultural farming.

Effect of dietary oregano essential oil and milk replacer on physiological status and immunological responses of pre- and post-weaned Ghoongroo piglets.

Ghoongroo pigs have good adaptability in a low input production system with high prolificacy. The present study was conducted on pre-and post-weaned Ghoongroo piglets from 2-3 days to 12 weeks of age to evaluate the effect of a milk replacer and oregano essential oil (EO) on growth, physiological and immunological responses. Thirty six piglets were randomly divided into three groups. The control group (n = 12) was allowed to suck mother's milk. Second group piglets were provided milk replacer (MR) and piglets of the third group were provided milk replacer along with oregano EO at 500 mg/kg diet. After weaning, piglets were provided standard concentrate diets. The results showed that the body weight in MR and MR + EO groups were significantly higher compared with the control. The MR + EO group had better intestinal microbiota, greater nonspecific innate immunity with the phagocytosis efficacy of neutrophils, lower cortisol concentration and more stable thyroid hormones than the other groups. The better haematological status supported the rapid organ development and improved intestinal health status in both the experimental groups. In conclusion, milk replacer, especially with the inclusion of oregano EO, can lower weaning stress, enhance nonspecific immunity and improve growth and health status of piglets.

Copper and cobalt doped bioactive glass-fish dermal collagen electrospun mat triggers key events of diabetic wound healing in full-thickness skin defect model.

The wounds arising out of underlying hyperglycemic conditions such as diabetic foot ulcers demand a multifunctional tissue regeneration approach owing to several deficiencies in the healing mechanisms. Herein, four different types of electrospun microfibers by combining Rohu fish skin-derived collagen (Fcol) with a bioactive glass (BAG)/ion-doped bioactive glass, namely, Fcol/BAG, Fcol/CuBAG, Fcol/CoBAG, and Fcol/CuCoBAG was developed to accelerate wound healing through stimulation of key events such as angiogenesis and ECM re-construction under diabetic conditions. SEM analysis shows the porous and microfibrous architecture, while the EDX mapping provides evidence of the incorporation of dopants inside various inorganic-organic composite mats. The viscoelastic properties of the microfibrous mats as measured by a nano-DMA test show a higher damping factor non-uniform tan-delta value. The maximum ultimate tensile strength and toughness are recorded for fish collagen with copper doped bioactive glass microfibers while the least values are demonstrated by microfibers with cobalt dopant. In vitro results demonstrate excellent cell-cell and cell-material interactions when human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) were cultured over the microfibers for 48 h. When these mats were applied over full-thickness diabetic wounds in the rabbit model, early wound healing is attained with Fcol/CuBAG, Fcol/CoBAG, and Fcol/CuCoBAG microfibers. Notably, these microfibers-treated wounds demonstrate a significantly (p < 0.01) higher density of blood vessels by CD-31 immunostaining than control, Duoderm, and Fcol/BAG treated wounds. Mature collagen deposition and excellent ECM remodeling are also evident in wounds treated with fish collagen/ion-doped bioactive glass microfibers suggesting their positive role in diabetic wound healing.

Antiapoptotic and antioxidative efficacy of rhizomes of Curcuma amada on the management of diabetes-induced male infertility in albino rat: An effective fraction selection study.

Men with diabetes have negative effects on reproduction that causes sexual dysfunction. Medicinal plants are non-toxic and much safer than synthetic drugs because regular use of synthetic drugs shows long-term side effects. Curcuma amada (Roxb) is a medicinal plant used in Ayurveda and Unani medicinal systems in India. The goal of this study is to rummage the potential efficiency of the most potent solvent fraction of effective extract of hydro-methanol 60:40 of C. amada rhizome on male gonadal hypofunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat. Diabetes-induced testicular hypofunction was evaluated by glycemic, spermiological, biochemical, genomic, flow cytometric, and histology of testicular tissue. The n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl-acetate, and n-butanol solvent fractions of the said extract were administrated for 4 weeks at 10 mg dose/100 g body weight/day. Among all the used fractions, the ethyl-acetate solvent fraction-treated group showed maximum recovery in serum insulin (177.42%), sperm count (92.84%), sperm motility (97.15%), and serum testosterone (164.33%). The diabetic rats treated with ethyl-acetate solvent fraction also exhibited the maximum resettlement in flow cytometric analysis of sperm viability (55.84%) and sperm mitochondrial integrity (149.79%), gene expression patterns of key markers for androgenesis (Δ5, 3ß-HSD 87.50%, and 17ß-HSD 74.66%) and apoptosis (Bax 44.63%, Bcl-2 54.03%, and Caspase-3 35.77%) along with testicular histology. The ethyl-acetate fraction contains alkaloids, flavonoids, and polyphenols where all of these components are not present in other fractions, may be the most effective cause for the recovery of diabetes-linked oxidative stress-mediated testicular hypofunctions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Nowadays worldwide, the use of synthetic drugs are reduced due to their toxic effect. At present, synthetic drugs are replaced by several herbal drugs, the natural source of medicine which has many therapeutic values. C. amada has strong antioxidant activity due to the presence of bio-active compound(s) that can able to manage streptozotocin-induced diabetes linked to oxidative damage of male gonadal organs. Therefore, these bio-active compound(s)-containing said medicinal plant may use as a good source of antioxidative food in the food industry as nutraceuticals and in pharmaceutical industries for the development of the herbal drug to manage diabetes-linked male gonadal hypofunctions. At present, WHO also gives emphasis for developing one drug-multi-disease therapy. From such a viewpoint, this active fraction-containing phytomolecules may have corrective efficacy against diabetes as well as oxidative stress-linked testicular complications.

Waste-derived biomaterials as building blocks in the biomedical field.

Recent developments in the biomedical arena have led to the fabrication of innovative biomaterials by utilizing bioactive molecules obtained from biological wastes released from fruit and beverage processing industries, and fish, meat, and poultry industries. These biological wastes that end up in water bodies as well as in landfills are an affluent source of animal- and plant-derived proteins, bio ceramics and polysaccharides such as collagens, gelatins, chitins, chitosans, eggshell membrane proteins, hydroxyapatites, celluloses, and pectins. These bioactive molecules have been intricately designed into scaffolds and dressing materials by utilizing advanced technologies for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing relevance. These biomaterials are environment-friendly, biodegradable, and biocompatible, and show excellent tissue regeneration attributes. Additionally, being cost-effective they can reduce the burden on the healthcare system as well as provide a sustainable solution to waste management. In this review, the current trends in the utilization of plant and animal waste-derived biomaterials in various biomedical fields are considered along with a separate section on their applications as xenografts.

Engineering Vascularizing Electrospun Dermal Grafts by Integrating Fish Collagen and Ion-Doped Bioactive Glass.

Utilizing bioactive molecules from organic sources in combination with inorganic materials for enhanced tissue regeneration has been a focus of recent scientific advancements. Some recent studies showed the potential of some specialized bioactive glass for healing of soft tissues; the role of Rohu (Labeo rohita) skin-derived collagen, a biopolymer in tissue regeneration and cutaneous healing, is yet to be established. So, we have fabricated four different types of electrospun mats as wound dressing materials/dermal grafts by combining locally sourced fish (Rohu) skin-derived collagen with novel composition of bioactive glass (Fcol/BAG) without and with dopants (3% and 5% Cu and Co, respectively and their binary) aimed at achieving an accelerated wound healing. FTIR and EDX mapping indicated successful integration of collagen and ion-doped bioactive glass in electrospun mats. Microfibers' architectural features and composition provided a cytocompatible and nontoxic environment conducive to adhesion, spreading, and proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts in vitro; in addition, they were hemocompatible with rabbit red blood cells. Better cutaneous wound healing in rabbits was achieved by treating with Fcol/CoBAG and Fcol/CuCoBAG microfibers with respect to improved wound closure, well-formed continuous epidermis, higher wound maturity, and regulated deposition of extracellular matrix components; mature collagen and elastin. Notably, a significantly (p < 0.01) higher density of blood vessels/positive CD 31 staining was observed in fish collagen/ion-doped bioactive glass microfibrous mat treated wounds suggesting efficient neo-vascularization during early stages of the healing process particularly attributable to copper and cobalt ions in the doped bioactive glass. Enhanced vascularizing ability of these engineered dermal composite grafts/wound dressings along with efficient remodeling of cutaneous structural components (ECM) could collectively be ascribed to bioactive properties of bioactive glass and stimulatory roles of copper, cobalt ions, and fish collagen. Our study demonstrates that a fish collagen/Cu and Co-doped bioactive glass microfibrous mat could potentially be used as a low-cost dressing material/dermal graft for augmented cutaneous wound healing.

RFamide peptides, the novel regulators of mammalian HPG axis: A review.

The RFamide-related peptides (RFRPs) are the group of neuropeptides synthesized predominantly from the hypothalamus that negatively affects the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-gonadal (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal [HPG]) axis. These peptides are first identified in quail brains and emerged as the mammalian orthologs of avian gonadotropin inhibitory hormones. The RFRP-3 neurons in the hypothalamus are present in several mammalian species. The action of RFRP-3 is mediated through a G-protein-coupled receptor called OT7T022. The predominant role of RFRP-3 is the inhibition of HPG axis with several other effects such as the regulation of metabolic activity, stress regulation, controlling of non-sexual motivated behavior, and sexual photoperiodicity in concert with other neuropeptides such as kisspeptin, neuropeptide-Y (NPY), pro-opiomelanocortin, orexin, and melanin. RFamide peptides synthesized in the granulosa cells, interstitial cells, and seminiferous tubule regulate steroidogenesis and gametogenesis in the gonads. The present review is intended to provide the recent findings that explore the role of RFRP-3 in regulating HPG axis and its potential applications in the synchronization of reproduction and its therapeutic interventions to prevent stress-induced amenorrhea.

A study on the electrocardiography in dogs: Reference values and their comparison among breeds, sex, and age groups.

AIM: The present investigation was intended to generate some basic data on electrocardiography (ECG) parameters in different breeds and their alterations in respect to sex and age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present investigation was carried out on 239 owned dogs of 11 different breeds presented to the Institute Veterinary Clinic during 2018-2019. The animals, irrespective of breed and sex were grouped on the basis of their age groups. Recordings of rdiartR, BPL, India) at 25 mm/s paper speed and 10 mm=1 mV calibration keeping the animals on the right lateECG were performed by a single-channel ECG machine (Caral recumbence without any anesthesia. Heart rate, along with the amplitude and duration of different waves and complexes was measured. RESULTS: Heart rate did not vary significantly among breeds, sex, and different age groups. The highest heart rate has been reported in Doberman and the lowest in Beagle. The heart rate was lowest at the age group of 6 months-2.5 years and highest around 10.5-12.5 years irrespective of breed and sex. The incidence of sinus arrhythmia was mostly seen in older dogs. All the waves and complexes did not vary significantly between breeds, age, and sex except P duration which was significantly (p<0.05) higher in Golden retriever and Doberman breeds. CONCLUSION: The present investigation generated some reference values of ECG in dogs which will help the clinicians to diagnose different cardiac abnormalities through ECG.

Correction of glycemic and oxidative stress sensors in streptozotocin induced diabetic rat model: Impact of dose dependent study of n-butanol solvent fraction of hydro-methanol extract of banana flower (Musa balbisiana).

The experiment focused the most effective dose out of 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/100 g body weight/day for 4 weeks of n-butanol fraction from the pretested promising hydro-methanol extract of Musa balbisiana flower to manage the streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rat and to minimize the bioburden of the body by excluding the inactive components from the said extract. Fraction treatment exhibited an outstanding recovery in fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, serum insulin levels, carbohydrate metabolic, antioxidant enzymes activities, expression of their marker genes, and apoptotic gene in diabetic rat. Flow-cytometric study of pancreatic ß-cell population was significantly recovered in fraction-treated groups which was also supported by histological study. The moderate dose, that is, 5 mg dose showed maximum efficacy in respect to other doses. The high dose, that is, 10 mg dose is not significantly effective than 5 mg dose may be due to the desensitization of the target organ's orphan receptor(s). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The work includes the role of M. balbisiana on diabetes management. Result focused that M. balbisiana flower can able to rectify the diabetic condition and recovered the ß cell population. M. balbisiana flower is a very common vegetable to people, use mostly in their daily meal. The experiment showed positive results to cure diabetes in the long-term. Moreover, this study is potential for drug development using nutraceutical(s) isolation. The pharmaceutical companies may develop an antidiabetic drug from the concerned plant part after successful clinical trial.

Effect of lycopene on testicular androgenic and anti-oxidative enzymes in cyproterone acetate-induced male infertile Wistar strain albino rats: An in vitro study.

Incidents of male infertility are mushrooming worldwide. Oxidative stress plays a prime role for its onset. Considering this background, the study was designed to focus the direct role of lycopene on cyproterone acetate (CPA) induced testicular hypofunction in rat. Four groups have been considered including the vehicle-treated control, lycopene-treated control, CPA-treated and CPA+ lycopene-treated groups. Androgenic, antioxidant and toxicity profiles were assessed. Results focused a nonsignificant (p > .05) difference in recovery of testicular Δ5 , 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD), 17ß-HSD after direct exposure of lycopene compared to the CPA-treated group. On other side, lycopene exposure to the testicular tissue of CPA-treated rat (CPA+ lycopene-treated) exhibited a significant (p < .05, p < .001) rectification in testicular catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase activities towards the vehicle- and lycopene-treated control groups. Toxicity profile also showed a significant (p < .001) recovery in CPA-treated group after direct exposure of lycopene towards the vehicle- and lycopene-treated control groups. So, it can be concluded that direct exposure of lycopene may rectify the CPA-induced testicular hypofunction either by its free radical-quenching ability or by stimulating antioxidant enzyme activity without modulating androgenic key enzyme directly.

Correction of diabetes-induced testicular dysfunction by a hydro-methanol (60:40) extract of Curcuma amada rhizomes: A dose-dependent study.

Diabetes affects the reproductive system. This study was conducted to find out the potent dose of the hydro-methanol 60:40 extract of Curcuma amada rhizomes for the management of diabetes-induced testicular dysfunction in albino rats. The extract was administered at the doses of 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/100 g body weight/day for 28 days. Oxidative stresses, reproductive parameters, histological, and gene expressions of the testicular tissue were assessed. Out of the doses used, the 20-mg dose showed maximum recovery as the minimum dose (e.g., sperm motility 112.03%, testicular cholesterol 34.86%, Bax gene expression 49.77%), whereas 40- and 80-mg doses did not vary statistically with each other (e.g., sperm motility 95.37% and 89.19%, testicular cholesterol 30.42% and 28.41%, Bax gene expression 47.33% and 46.18%, respectively) as well as with the 20-mg dose. It may be concluded that the 20-mg dose is the threshold dose for this purpose. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The hydro-methanol 60:40 extract of rhizomes of Curcuma amada has a strong antioxidant property that can manage diabetes-induced oxidative injuries in testes which may raise a hope to the pharmaceutical industries to develop a herbal drug for diabetes-linked testicular hypofunction management.

Genetic status of indigenous poultry (red jungle fowl) from India.

The global biodiversity of domesticated red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) is gradually eroding by replacement with commercial poultry breeds and results loss of valuable genetic and physical traits like resistance to disease, extreme environment, etc. posing a threat to the poultry genetic resources. Very fewer reports exist on Indian poultry diversity, especially native chicken of India. Therefore, species identification and inventorying of the poultry genetic resource is indispensable. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize indigenous chicken from bio-diversity hotspot of Sunderban and Northeast India using DNA sequence based barcoding approach. A total of 15 CO1 (Cytochrome c Oxidase-I) DNA barcode of different indigenous chicken were newly sequenced along with 6 previously published sequences from our laboratory and compared with the available data of distinctive genera of Phasianidae as per the standard protocol and are identified as Gallus gallus. About 98.96% of the Phasianid birds were successfully delimitated into the respective species except for 12 congeneric pairs whose minimum interspecific K2P (Kimura 2-parameter) distance overlaps with the maximum intraspecific distance (3.9%). The least genetic divergence is observed between G. gallus and G. varius (0.013%) and highest between G. gallus and G. lafayettei (0.059%). The NJ tree showed a cohesive clustering of indigenous chicken with G. gallus and distinct with respect to all the different species under study, thereby revealing their taxonomic position except for few G. sonneratti that showed mixed clustering with G. gallus. This may be due to the genetic introgression between the species. Nevertheless, the study for the first time provided the molecular identification tag of indigenous poultry from biodiversity hotspot of East and Northeast India and will remain as a potential guide to recognize inimitable and valuable poultry genetic resources for future needs.

Association between udder morphology and in vitro activity of milk leukocytes in high yielding crossbred cows.

AIM: The present investigation was conducted to study the association between udder morphology and in vitro activity of milk leukocytes in high yielding crossbred cows. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 48 healthy high yielding crossbred cows were selected for the study. The udder configuration and teat/udder morphology were recorded before milking. Milk samples (100 ml/cow) were collected aseptically. Milk somatic cell counts (SCC) and milk differential leukocyte counts were performed microscopically. Milk leukocytes (viz., neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages) were isolated from milk samples by density gradient centrifugation. Phagocytic index (PI) of milk neutrophils and macrophages were evaluated by colorimetric nitro blue tetrazolium assay. Lymphocytes proliferation response was estimated by MTT assay and expressed as stimulation index. RESULTS: There was a significant (p<0.01) positive correlation between milk SCC with mid teat diameter, teat base diameter and significant (p<0.05) negative correlation between milk SCC and the height of the teat from the ground. Milk SCC was found to be significantly (p<0.01) lower in bowl-shaped udder and higher (p<0.01) in pendulous type. Milk macrophage percentage was positively (p<0.01) correlated with udder circumference. PI of milk neutrophil was negatively (p<0.01) correlation between teat base diameter, and PI of milk macrophages was found to be positively (p<0.01) correlated with teat apex diameter. Both PI of milk neutrophils and macrophages was found to be significantly (p<0.01) lower in the animals having flat and round teat and pendulous type of udder. In vitro PI of milk neutrophils was found to be significantly (p<0.01) lower in flat teat. In vitro PI of milk macrophages was found to be significantly (p<0.01) lower in the round and flat teats compared to pointed and cylindrical teats. CONCLUSION: Udder risk factors such as teat shape and size, teat to floor distance, udder shape, and size may decrease the in vitro activity of milk leukocytes hence facilitates the incidence intramammary infections.

Electrocardiogram pattern of some exotic breeds of trained dogs: A variation study.

AIM: The present study has been conducted to evaluate the variation in electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters among different trained breeds of dogs (viz. Labrador, German Shepherd, and Golden Retriever) used for security reasons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ECG was recorded by single channel ECG at a paper speed of 25 mm/s and calibration of 10 mm=1 mV. The recordings were taken from all the standard bipolar limb leads (Lead-I, II, and III) and unipolar augmented limb leads (Lead-aVR, aVL, and aVF). RESULTS: Heart rate was found to be highest in Labrador and lowest in German Shepherd. P-wave duration was maximum in Golden Retriever breed and lowest in Labrador. Maximum amplitude of P-wave was found in Labrador followed by German Shepherd and Golden Retriever. There was significantly (p<0.05) higher values of PR interval in German Shepherd compared to other breeds. The variation in QRS duration, ST segment duration, T-wave duration, and T-wave amplitude was found to be non-significant among breeds. Inverted T-waves were most common in Golden Retriever and German Shepherd, whereas positive T-waves were found in Labrador. There was significant (p<0.05) variation in mean electrical axis of QRS complex among different breeds and it ranges from +60° to +80°. CONCLUSION: The present study provides the reference values for different ECG parameters to monitor the cardiac health status among Labrador, German Shepherd, and Golden Retriever breeds.

On the diffusion constant of water in wheat.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to obtain diffusion constants for water in the embryo and endosperm of wheat. Our experiments showed a significant difference between the diffusion constant for the two components. It was also shown that water diffusion in both the endosperm and embryo deviates from the typically observed Gaussian behavior in bulk fluids, showing a time-dependent diffusion constant. Diffusion constants for the embryo and endosperm were shown to differ by an order of magnitude. Using a model for restricted diffusion, information on the endosperm pore size and the embryo cell dimensions could be obtained.